60% magnetoresistance at room temperature in Co–Fe/Al–O/Co–Fe tunnel junctions oxidized with Kr–O2 plasma

The influence of the mixed inert gas species for plasma oxidization process of a metallic Al layer on the tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) was investigated for a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ), Ta 50 Å/Cu 200 Å/Ta 200 Å/Ni–Fe 50 Å/Cu 50 Å/Mn75Ir25 100 Å/Co70Fe30 25 Å/Al–O/Co70Fe30 25 Å/Ni–Fe 100 Å/Cu 200 Å/Ta 50 Å. Using Kr–O2 plasma, a 58.8% of TMR ratio was obtained at room temperature after annealing the junction at 300 °C, while the achieved TMR ratio of the MTJ fabricated with usual Ar–O2 plasma remained 48.6%. A faster oxidization rate of the Al layer by using Kr–O2 plasma is a possible cause to prevent the over oxidization of the Al layer, which depolarizes the surface of the underlaid ferromagnetic electrode, and to realize a large magnetoresistance.